CHAPTER 6: I'll cut your balls off and staple them to your forehead

School gym. Hell on earth. Satan's chamber.

Don't think I'm exaggerating my point here – no. No. No. No. A big no.

I mean come on, I don't want to see Mark William's hairy chest neither do I want to see Iris Santiago bawl her eyes out in the girls' locker room over her 'boyfriend' who frankly doesn't give a shit about anything in school. Not even her.

As I continue staring blankly at Iris crying continuously, I think about yesterday's fight with Jason about joining the soccer team. Those who know me, know that I honestly don't give a damn about anything and that I would do whatever I want especially if I'm hell-bent on doing it.

I tie my shoelaces with a determined look on my face – I probably looked like an Olympic contestant ready to high jump – and make my way to Maddie who was already shamelessly staring at a shirtless Aaron.

"Maddie! How many times?" I sigh and bump her shoulder as I walk past her dreaming away to probably fairyland or somewhere.

"Where'd he get those abs from?" Maddie sighs dreamily. Again.

Oh, come on.

"I'm playing soccer, Maddie." I roll my eyes as I say.

"Mm."

That's all I get?

"With the boys' team," I say nonchalantly and continue stretching my arms and legs, bending till my toes in the process. Suddenly I'm knocked over and I not-so-gracefully land on my tummy.

"What the fuck, Maddie?"

"What?! Are you serious?" I see a glaring Maddie with saucer-wide eyes towering above my fallen ass, her hands on her waist.

"Oh come on. Not you too." I mumble to myself as I recall the fight I had with Jason yesterday due to his dumb soccer-jerk ego. I literally had to crawl out of the house today in order to avoid him. I didn't even take my granola bar.

That itself says a lot.

And let's not forget the hundreds of calories my poor body burned when I walked to school.

"What'd you say to me?" Maddie says in an I'm-supposed-to-be-intimidating-so just-get-scared tone and offers her hand for me to take.

"Hey! Gather up! Girls, let the boys play their own games, no need to motivate them..." Coach Kylie shouts on top of her lungs and glared at the girls who already reached the other side of the field like panting dogs for the yummy not yummy shirtless treats.

"I said I'm joining the boys' team... didn't you hear me the first time?" I stand beside Maddie who was staring at me wide-eyed with a wide open mouth as well.

Really didn't expect girls to discriminate themselves.

Despite our school calling itself state-of-the-art and so advanced, I'm still worried about my judgement about it. Not being able to get a girls' football team? Really?

Before I go all women-empowering, I turn to Maddie and sigh.

"Look, you know right that I love playing soccer?"

"More than painting nails? I understand."

"Yes...whatever. Anyways, I've been playing all these years, Maddie. Ever since dad you know... he taught me how to play it and I've been thinking of taking it ahead and playing it in school. With the team. Whether it be with boys or girls." I end my rant and smile thinking of dad running after me shouting out loud for me to run and kick the ball not hold it in the hands and then run.

"Are you sure about this, Summer? You've seen the boys play... I mean, they are so rough." Maddie whispers in concern as her eyes dart from Coach Kylie to me.

"I know that. All that will be handled, don't worry. But you do think I'm right, right?" I ask while raising my eyebrows, already knowing her answer.

"You know, you're right girl! Go for it! I promise I'll be the loudest to cheer you during the tournament matches." She excitedly says.

"And why are you so excited, Ms. Woods?" I hear the Coach's daring words, challenging anyone to even open their mouth.

After a vigorous session of just almost breaking my bones and stretching my body like a rubber band, I gulp down my water faster than lightning. How ironic, no? Considering the fact that I am a soccer player's sister plus I play football myself, I still am lazy to even work out or run for that matter. But put a ball in front of me and I'll run for my life with all the strength I have in my damn body.

I breathe in and out in an attempt to calm myself but it just makes my breathing more ragged and forced. My fists are clenched with nervousness while I walk towards the Coach who was seated alone on the bleachers writing something down on his clipboard. I am about to give up and take twenty steps back until dad's image comes in my mind. His huge hands holding my tiny ones while his big blue eyes looked into mine, encouraging me at every step of my life.

I take a deep breath and call out Coach Smith.

"Hey, Coach! Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Any problem, Jones?" Coach says as he looks up and squints his eyes at me due to the harsh sunlight.

"Well... yes and no. I wanted to ask you something-

"No. Summer, you need to leave." Jason rudely interrupts me and stands in front of me with his chest out, in an attempt to look scary.

Sorry, dickhead. Not me.

"I'm not talking to you, Jason. Back. Off." I say slowly so that those words can stick into his thick skull.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, kids. What's the problem here?" Coach drops in between us as he looks at Jason then me.

"I want to join your team, Coach," I say as I finally muster the courage with dad constantly in my mind, my eyes fixated on Jason. I swear I saw a muscle in his jaw twitch in anger.

"What...?" I look at Coach who looked baffled by my decision and I could actually imagine the wheels in his head turning.

"Coach, please, please, please give me a chance. I won't disappoint you. I'll even play better than Jason... please, please!" I fold my palms together in front of the coach while shoulder-wrestling with Jason who was trying to push me away.

"Look, I get it you're the captain's sister and all-

"No! It's not because of that, coach. I love soccer. And I want to start by playing for the school. I assure you Jason will have nothing to do with it," I say this as I glare at Jason and continue, "You can make your decision based on your own judgement. Please, at least see me play." I plead again and I had high hopes based on the coach's thinking face right now.

"Coach, come on, a girl in the-

"Ah, ah, Jason. I want to see her play. Let's see if she got your genes, Jones." He says to Jason then turns to me, "Thursday at 2.00 pm. Sharp on time. Good luck, Jones." Coach says and walks away from us, leaving an angry Jason and bouncing me behind. I clap my hands and jump excitedly on my feet, yelling "Yes!" at the top of my lungs.

"Jason! I got in... I mean not yet. But coach agreed! He agreed! Yes! Yes!" I jump around Jason like a mad kangaroo on the loose but he suddenly pulls me towards him and holds me with his strong arms. Damn.

"Summer, I'm just worried about you. I get it you want to continue playing soccer and trust me, I know you're even better than me. It's just that I don't want any of those huge-ass boys to knock you off. Plus, you'll even have to hear the entire school blabbering about you, on how you joined the boys' team despite being a girl and all that shit." As he finished talking endlessly, I wrap my arms around his torso and hug him warmly, a huge grin spread across my mouth.

"What... are you doing, Summer?" Jason chuckles as he hugs me back. I hear a few aww's going around me but I ignore all that and happily feel my brother hugging me after long.

"Thank you for the worry, Jason. But it'll all be fine, trust me. And did you forget you and Aaron are there for me or are you doubting your own strength?" We pull back and start walking towards the block.

"Oh please. Draven is enough to take down the entire soccer team if you even get one scratch. That's what I'm worried about." We both laugh until I hit him on his head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Jason whines like a kid and rubs the back of his head.

"Next time, don't underestimate me or talk rudely to me or else I'll cut your balls off and staple them to your forehead."

Jason widens his eyes and shakes his head, "Damn right you will."

***

Slight correction in the rest of the chapters. Just replaced football with soccer. Sorry...got a little confused over there. But nothing has changed so...keep on reading!

Adios!